Upcoming Events: #StopEbola : What Nigeria did right (1/27); FinTech and Entrepreneurship (1/28); Development in the Digital Age

#StopEbola : What Nigeria did right

Tuesday, January 27, **12:00pm ET** (please note new start time), Berkman Center for Internet & Society, 23 Everett St, 2nd Floor. This event will be webcast live.

On July 20, 2014 the Ebola outbreak landed in Nigeria, Africa's most populous country. Public health officials warned that an outbreak could be catastrophic in Lagos, a densely populated city of 21 million. 19 confirmed cases left 11 dead from the disease, but Nigeria’s nightmare scenario never occurred. Within three months, the World Health Organization declared Nigeria Ebola-free, deeming the nation's efforts to contain the disease a "spectacular success story”. In a country with 130 million mobile-phone users and active social networks, social media and mobile technology played a central role in Nigeria’s Ebola containment. SMS platforms were used to share information on the signs and symptoms of the virus. Ebola Alert, a technology organization formed by group of volunteer doctors, used Facebook and Twitter to increase awareness through 24/7 updates and online Ebola chats. Social media campaigns deployed Nollywood stars to sensitize audiences, manage fear and myths, and reduce stigma. Contract tracers were equipped GPS technology on mobile devices to ensure accountability and accuracy during interviews and monitoring. Health workers were provided with mobile phones and an Android app that allowed for immediate and critical information sharing. Each of these strategies led to fast communication, better self-reporting and identification of Ebola contacts, successful tracking and monitoring - all essential components of an outbreak response that Nigeria got right in record time. What can we learn from Nigeria? And how can these strategies be utilized in public health challenges in Africa and beyond? This discussion will included video interviews with Nigerian doctors, health workers, social media campaigners and Ebola survivors from an upcoming documentary on this subject.

Aimee Corrigan is the Co-Director of Nollywood Workshops, a hub for filmmakers in Lagos, Nigeria that supports and delivers movie production and distribution, training, and research. She is also a documentary photographer and filmmaker. Aimee's passion for Nollywood sparked during her participation in the production of the documentary This Is Nollywood. RSVP Required. more information on our website>

FinTech and Entrepreneurship: Exploring the role of innovative financial services in advancing global entrepreneurship & development

Wednesday, January 28, 8:30-10:00AM at 1776 in Washington, DC, 1133 15th Street, NW, 12th Floor

Join the Global Innovation Forum in partnership with the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University, Engine, Intuit and 1776 for a breakfast discussion about the role of emerging technology-enabled financial services in empowering global entrepreneurship and development, and ways in which public policy can impact access to these services. Featuring a keynote conversation with Congressman Jared Polis & perspectives on innovative online financing mechanisms, entrepreneurship and public policy from: Jeff Kaufman, Group Lead, QuickBooks Finance; Jonny Price, Senior Director, Kiva ZIP, Kiva.org; Art Stevens, Director for Social Innovation, PayPal; Brandon Pollak, Director of Global Affairs, 1776; Mark Wu, Berkman Center for Internet & Society, Harvard University; Jake Colvin, Executive Director, Global Innovation Forum.

Registration Required. more information on our website>

Development in the Digital Age: The role of online platforms & payments in enabling entrepreneurship in emerging markets

Tuesday, February 3, 12:00pm ET, Harvard Law School. This event will be webcast live.

The Internet is democratizing access to the global marketplace for millions of people around the world. Thanks to online platforms, payment systems and logistics services, companies, nonprofits and individuals can embark on global journeys like never before. Join representatives from the Global Innovation Forum, eBay and Etsy to explore the opportunities for economic development that the Internet unlocks, and the specific challenges that global entrepreneurs and micromultinationals in developing countries face.

Usman Ahmed is Policy Counsel for eBay Inc. His work covers a variety of global Internet issues including international trade, intellectual property policy, and financial services. Jake Colvin is Executive Director of the Global Innovation Forum @ NFTC. Through GIF, Jake works with startup, business, education and nonprofit leaders to explore the opportunities and challenges associated with participating in the global marketplace in the digital age, and to assess the effect of public policies on international trade and innovation. Althea Erickson is director of public policy at Etsy, the marketplace for creative people to buy and sell unique goods. Althea leads Etsy’s government relations and advocacy efforts, focusing on educating and advising policymakers on the issues that micro-entrepreneurs and creative businesses face. She is also responsible for developing and advancing Etsy’s position on issues ranging from taxes and regulation, to open Internet and free trade, to IP and privacy policies. RSVP Required. more information on our website>

Nathan Freitas: The Great Firewall Inverts

The world is witnessing a massive expansion of Chinese telecommunications reach and influence, powered entirely by users choosing to participate in it. In Usage of the mobile messaging app WeChat (?? Weixin), for example, has skyrocketed not only inside China, but outside, as well. Due to these systems being built upon proprietary protocols and software, their inner workings are largely opaque and mostly insecure. (WeChat has full permission to activate microphones and cameras, track GPS, access user contacts and photos, and copy all of this data at any time to their servers.) In this talk, Nathan Freitas -- Berkman Fellow, director of technology strategy and training at the Tibet Action Institute. and leader of the Guardian Project -- questions the risks to privacy and security foreign users engage in when adopting apps from Chinese companies. Do the Chinese companies behind these services have any market incentive or legal obligation to protect the privacy of their non-Chinese global userbase? Do they willingly or automatically turn over all data to the Ministry of Public Security or State Internet Information Office? Will we soon see foreign users targeted or prosecuted due to "private" data shared on WeChat? And is there any fundamental difference in the impact on privacy freedom for an American citizen using WeChat versus a Chinese citizen using WhatsApp or Google? video/audio on YouTube>